Would-be smash-and-grabber beaten in Joburg

A picture of the vehicle involved in the smash-and-grab. Pic: Facebook.

An unidentified man has been beaten and injured by taxi drivers and two passengers after a smash-and-grab attempt at the intersection of Judith Road and Beyers Naudé in Emmarentia, Johannesburg.

Eblockwatch founder Andre Snyman said when the suspect smashed the window of a car in front of a minibus taxi, the taxi driver and two passengers jumped out to help the victim, Northcliff Melville Times reported.

In a statement, Parkview police spokesperson Sergeant Lloyd Ramovha said: “At this point in time, we at Parkview Police Station don’t have a case opened for the alleged incident. However, we can confirm that the street corners of Judith and Bayers Naude have in the past generated several cases of smash-and-grab incidents.”

“We continue to treat and monitor it as a hotspot. We have previously arrested suspects there. We urge motorists to be cautious and keep valuables out of sight at all times to avoid falling victims,” added Ramovha.

Last Tuesday, Kaya FM radio breakfast show host Bob Mabena fell victim to a smash and grab in Pretoria West.

Lyttelton police spokesperson Warrant Officer Hero Gumbu said a camera was taken when Mabena stopped at a robot.

“He said a man came to his window and smashed it. The man fled with his Canon camera. A struggle ensued between the two as the man tried to take Mabena’s phone but failed,” Gumbu said.

In a tweet, Mabena said: “I didn’t see them coming. Just heard a loud crash of my window being smashed, and that was it!”

Last month, Community Safety Member of the Executive Committee (MEC) Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said Gauteng’ s top five contributing streets were Gordon Road in Florida Glen, Rondebult Road in Bartlett Agricultural Holdings, corner of Malibongwe Drive and the N1 freeway in Strydom Park, 14th Avenue in Constantia Kloof and Voortrekker Street in the Kempton Park CBD.